Troup gives housing update at monthly “Lunch with the Mayor” session

Quincy Mayor Mike Troup used his monthly luncheon session Wednesday to discuss housing and raise money for the United Way of Adams County.

Troup said he hopes to have a proposal before the Quincy City Council in December that would provide an incentive to rental property owners to rehabilitate areas that need improvement.

“I think we could generate $3 million in additional EAV (equalized assessed valuation) over the next two to four years,” Troup said. “We need housing. Quincy is landlocked and we have properties west of 18th Street where we could develop into more single family units, or more condos or apartments.”

Troup discussed the possibility of using Tax Increment Financing (TIF) money for the plan, but he said he wanted to discuss details with the aldermen on how it could be accomplished.

Troup said with more than 30 people having taken advantage of the Q-WRAP housing incentive for moving to Quincy, most of them are renting because they cannot find a house they like to buy. The program provides up to $3,500 in rent assistance or up to a $5,000 property tax rebate if the person stays in Quincy for a year.

“If we don’t take care of this need, then what happens when one of our current companies wants to expand and we can’t help them,” Troup said. “Instead of expanding here, they might expand elsewhere.”

Troup also said again that he was working with multiple companies to bring new hotels to Quincy.

“If they want to look at a new hotel on Broadway, that’s great, but we really need another one downtown by the Oakley-Lindsay Center,” he said.

Quincy has lost two downtown hotels this year: Eagle’s Nest and Welcome Inn, which was condemned in July, although it was more of a shelter than it was a hotel where someone visiting from out of town might stay.

Troup also said he hoped to have the announcement of at least one big box retailer by early next year.

“If we can land these at the locations the developers are looking at, our retail shopping will be bigger than it ever was,” Troup said. *

Normally at these sessions, people provide their own carry-in or brown bag lunches. On Wednesday, city employees served up chili and chicken noodle soup, with the proceeds going to the annual campaign of the United Way of Adams County.